Public Often Unaware of College Cost Options, Panel Told

Too many high school students are unaware of their options when
choosing a college, leading many to believe that a postsecondary
education is out of their price range, a group of college
presidents and educators told a House panel last week.

Even though college tuition increases have dramatically outpaced
inflation over the past decade, there are still affordable
alternatives, the group said.

"The public tends to vastly overestimate the costs of college," said
Stanley Ikenberry, the president of the American Council on Education,
a higher education umbrella group here. "The vast majority of students
don't attend high-priced institutions."

In fact, only about 12 percent of students attend colleges whose
tuition is $14,000 or more a year, Mr. Ikenberry said.

The House Postsecondary Education, Training, and Lifelong Learning
Subcommittee is exploring ways for the federal government to help
colleges control costs as part of its reauthorization of the Higher
Education Act.

Leveling Off

The education experts who addressed the subcommittee gave several
explanations for cost increases: more technology needed to teach
subjects, less support from states, and the increasing demands for
remedial education and special support services. In addition, they
said, students want better services in such areas as extracurricular
activities, athletic facilities, and dining-hall food.

Another problem is that the public has long assumed that the higher
the cost of tuition, the better the overall education, said Samuel
Speck, the president of Muskingum College in Ohio. One consultant
advised the college's administrators not to cut tuition because it
would look bad, he said.

Regardless, tuition increases are beginning to level off, and now
postsecondary institutions are learning to cut costs, the group
said.

Parents have become less willing to stand for high costs and large
tuition increases, Mr. Speck said. When Muskingum's administrators
decided to cut tuition, they saw an enrollment increase of 35 percent,
an influx of transfer students, and higher retention rates.

And when Michigan State University agreed to hold its tuition
increases to the rate of inflation, the college found ways to save
money, said M. Peter McPherson, the university's president.

"It forced us to be more careful," he said. "We found we could do
some things differently instead of spending more money."

Members of the higher education associations agreed that more
tuition assistance and fewer regulations from the federal government
would help them control costs.

Lawmakers' Questions

But House members did not let the colleges off the hook
entirely.

Rep. Michael N. Castle, R-Del., said he has seen colleges increase
administrative positions, while allowing some professors generous
vacations and reduced teaching loads. He also questioned suggestions to
replace some teachers with computer programs and other classroom
technology.

And several members questioned the need for remedial education
classes. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., said she was concerned that
elementary and secondary schools were not providing enough instruction
to prepare students for college-level work. "Colleges should not have
to be tutoring students in writing skills and basic mathematics," she
said.

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, the subcommittee chairman, said he
plans to file legislation that would establish a task force to study
college costs and advise lawmakers on which federal regulations to
cut.

The higher education representatives advised prospective students to
consider community colleges and in-state universities, and to find out
about financial-aid packages offered through the colleges instead of
the government.

"They may not be able to afford the institution they wish to attend,
but they can afford some institution that will meet their needs," said
Bette Landman, the chairwoman of the Southeastern Pennsylvania
Consortium for Higher Education.